Sen. Dolores Gresham talks with Sen. Stacey Campfield before the Senate approved all three Common Core bills on Monday, March 17, 2014. / John Partipilo / The Tennessean

Sen. Jim Kyle questions Sen. Dolores Gresham on one of the Common Core bills. / John Partipilo / The Tennessean

Sen. Jim Tracy, left, talks to Speaker Pro Tempore Bo Watson during the Common Core discussions in the Senate on Monday March 17, 2014. / John Partipilo / The Tennessean

More

ADVERTISEMENT

Republican Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey has no interest in following the House’s path on delaying Common Core in Tennessee, a hopeful sign for Gov. Bill Haslam and others looking to stave off a full-on revolt over the education standards.

The Tennessee Senate took actions Monday to express the state’s sovereignty over education standards, ensure data collected from its new testing isn’t shared and overhaul the state textbook commission.

All are aimed at Common Core — but each is less sweeping than the House’s stunning move last week to suspend further implementation of Common Core and postpone its companion test for two years.

If the Senate’s leader has his way, the latter move won’t catch fire.

“I do think the horse is out of the barn, so to speak,” Ramsey told reporters Monday regarding Common Core, which Tennessee has phased into classrooms over the past three years beginning with reading and math. “We’ve trained 100,000 teachers. There’s lots of things that have already happened in this state to just say we’re going to put this off for two years.”

While stopping short of predicting the Senate wouldn’t touch Common Core further, Ramsey said he was bothered and “extremely disappointed” by the way in which the House did so.

Critics of Common Core in the House sidestepped the traditional committee system by slapping on a series of last-minute amendments to unrelated legislation put forth by Rep. Timothy Hill, R-Blountville, which happens to be Ramsey’s hometown.

“I know for a fact that the sponsor told me that once that bill got any amendments on it, he was going to send it back to committee, and he didn’t,” Ramsey said. “He made a halfhearted attempt at best. That’s not the way you do things. You don’t pull the wool over people’s eyes, so to speak, to try to get this to the floor.

“It’s more about process than anything to me, and making promises and keeping your word, and I don’t think that happened in this case.”

Ramsey confirmed he’s spoken to Haslam about the Common Core issue since the House on Thursday voted 82-11 to delay further implementation of social studies and science standards and the conversion to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career test, slated to begin this fall. That legislation could go before the Senate Finance Ways and Means Committee as soon as next week.

Ramsey’s tune should be encouraging for Haslam, a Common Core supporter who is scheduled to tout the standards during several stops in Tennessee, including Smyrna, on Tuesday. The governor, tested by the House’s action, could use Ramsey’s help in the upper chamber.

On Monday, the Senate approved three Common Core-related bills that are more modest in scope.

The Senate voted 27-3 to approve a resolution that “expresses Tennessee’s sovereignty over education standards,” a response to the federal intrusion that some see as Common Core. Haslam’s administration actually supports this legislation.

By a 31-2 margin, the Senate approved Senate Bill 1835, sponsored by Sen. Dolores Gresham, R-Somerville, which requires that the “sole purpose” of data collected from testing of new Common Core standards be used to track academic progress and needs of students. The bill would also require public notices and hearings in the Senate and House before adopting science and social studies standards.

“This bill is in response to the people of Tennessee, as they have made their wishes known,” Gresham said.

Rounding out the trio bills, all of which Ramsey supports, the Senate voted 29-3 to approve legislation that overhauls the Tennessee Textbook Commission, even giving it a new name: The Tennessee Textbook and Materials Commission.

The bill gives the General Assembly appointment and confirmation power over the commissioners.

Under the proposal, which heads to the House Education Committee on Tuesday, the House Speaker and lieutenant governor would each get to nominate three members to the 10-member commission, in addition to the governor. Currently the governor holds all nomination authority. The 10th ex-officio member is the state commissioner of education. The General Assembly would also gain new confirmation power over commissioners.

“We thought it important that the legislature have a say on who sits on the board,” sponsor Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, has said, arguing that constituents take their concerns over school literature to lawmakers first.